Interview with E-40

You've worked with many different producers over the years. Which do you really like working with?

I like workin with producers with good attitudes. That's open to my suggestions. I like workin with Ric Rock, I like workin with Bosko. Tone Capone. Mike Mosley, Studio Ton, though Studio Ton and Mike Mosley missed out on this album.

What happened?

I moved quick. Schedules. I do a lotta production in my studio and I move real quick. I haven't forgot about none of 'em, I still wanna do what we got to do, but most of my time's been with the producers that's on this album. I like workin with Battlecat too. And let me put Jazze Pha up in there too.

How did you hook up with Jazze Pha?

Through Too Short I first met him. And then Eightball, we connected when I was in ATL. And Ant Banks. I love workin with Ant Banks. Every producer that I work with is straight. I wouldn't work with you if you got an attitude problem, if you don't wanna listen or nothing. I hate that. I don't need that extra stress. I like open minded muthafuckas with good attitudes. Let's do the damn thing. Funk Daddy's cool too.

How much input do you have in your production? How does it come together?

I got influence on the beats. If I ain't feelin something, I tell 'em take that sound out. That ain't what I'm feelin, come with this sound here. And they listen, they're not bull headed. The majority of the producers I work with, they listen. And I listen to them too.

Did you record the whole album at your studio?

The majority of the album I recorded in my studio in some kinda way. Whether it be trackin vocals or layin down the beat. I also do a lotta work at Infinite Studio, Michael Denten. My engineer is D Wiz, who is the coolest engineer on earth.

Do you ever make beats on your own in your studio?

Sometimes I do, but I been tryin to concentrate on my pen and pad lately. My heat pad.

Are there any producers that you've never worked with that you would like to work with?

Dr. Dre. Never worked with him.

Just imagin E-40 with Dr. Dre..

That'd be real husky. We talked here and there in the traffic, but it's never been no long super-duper sit down at the round table type conversation. Who wouldn't want to work with Dr. Dre, I'm sure every rapper would like to. I'd like to work with DJ Quik. He versatile, he can do it all. He a bad muthafucka. I would like to work with DJ Premier, Gangstarr. And Mannie Fresh. I did work with Mannie Fresh though, just on that Baller Blockin, but I never worked with him just on my own shit just with me. They blessed me with that Baller Blockin. They didn't even have to put me on that song and do a video with me. I've never seen them have anybody rappin on their videos ever. That was love they showed me. Nothin but love. Baby and them, they cool.

I heard your new album charted high on the Billboard charts.

It came in at number 4 on the R & B chart, number 4 on the Rap chart, and number 18 top 20 on the Pop chart overall. It's all love. I'm grateful, cause I been in this game for all these years, and for me to score that high with all this competition is pretty good.

You're one of my favorite lyricists out there. Who are your favorite lyricists?

Scarface. Too Short. It's different subject matters that muthafuckas cover. Scarface is good at doin what he do. Too Short's good at doin what he do. Short was the first muthafucka that I knew that was spittin game. Anybody can rap all day spittin that ol' regular shit, but when you spittin that shit that a muthafucka been through or know about, it make it even better. I like Spice 1, still to this day. C-Bo, Yukmouth. There's a lotta good ones. Mystikal. I like BG, man. BG a full one, he is for real. The whole Cash Money camp, cause they good at what they do. And Ice Cube, West Side Connection. And Kurupt, cause he just flow. The ignorancy of it. It's a fool, just flow. And I gotta give it up to 3 X Krazy, Keak Da Sneak. Killa Tay is tight. Richie Rich, Messy Marv, San Quinn, B-Legit, Mac Mall, Jay Z, gotta say UGK. And Al Kapone. The Click and The Mossie. Gang of people. Nelly tight too to me. I like him.

Loyalty and Betrayal is your sixth album. Which of all your albums is your favorite?

Federal, In A Major Way and Loyalty and Betrayal. They poked out like nipples to me. Not to take anything away from the others, they all knockin.

People are saying that E-40 brought that sinister flavor back into this album.

They say that this is one of them good ones right here. They say it's right up there with A Major Way.

And you came out with it so fast.

Like I say, I made like a pregnant lady and came out in 9 months. I put two albums out in one year, and I didn't slop it up. They bangin.

Rap has been going on for like 20 years now, and it's gone through many changes. Do you think Rap is at a good stage right now?

I think so. It's bigger than ever right now. I been seein Rap in Pizza commercials, fast food commercials. I see Rock groups tryin to mix Rap into the Rock. Kids that was born in the eighties, they don't know nothin but Rap. No matter what some older people say, if they can't relate to Rap, their kids, that's all they listen to. It's only some older people that are stubborn about Rap, but a lotta them, they love it too. My mama, and a lotta other people's parents, they love it. I feel that Rap is not goin anywhere. Just like when Rock music came along, it wasn't no fly by night. I think you can get your words across and get your message across in Rap music better than in any other form of music. You can say so many words in one verse.

As a business person and an artist, how much do you listen to the radio?

I buy certain tapes that I know I got to go get. When a Scarface record comes out I got to go snatch that. Or when an Outkast record comes out. I listen to radio sometimes. When I'm in the car--I'm gonna be honest with you--I really like to listen to like KBLX, old school music. Like 70's, laid back kinda shit. That's what I grew up on. Rap can be nerve rackin sometimes to me. Just cause I do it, don't mean I listen to it 24-7. What a lotta cats don't know is that that's where Rap comes from, old school R & B. DJ's takin old school 70's records and mixin 'em and rappers rappin over 'em.

I always wonder how you come up with all these lyrics?

My situation is, of course we all know that I am from the ghetto, no matter how glamorous lookin and luxurious right now. The real muthafuckas know I come from the ghetto, cause a nigga wouldn't be able to spit this kinda shit if he didn't know nothing about it. Especially the way I lay it down. You got to know that I been around and I seen it. Me personally, I watch. I kick back, I watch, I listen. I was already injected with game from my childhood, because I was surrounded by older cats. And I ain't a four block muthafucka, I been around the world and back. At a young age, me and D-Shot and B-Legit, we'd slide out. We'd slide out to LA, slide out to Down South, we was hittin Vegas. All kinda shit at a young young age that most kids didn't do it at. We stayed laced up. And for me and words--of course I don't make up all the fuckin words in the world, but I make up at least 75% of the shit that I say. The other 25%--I get words from Down South, choppin it up with my folks Down South. I get words choppin it up with my folks out here. What am I supposed to do? Sit here like a sad puppy and not use none of my Yay words that I been laced up with by cats around me? That's what makes up who we are, shit around us. That's what makes up you.

And you're not afraid to twist it.

I'm just here displayin my Bay Area, out here poppin my collar and jack my slacks, spittin my LRBE. The world need to know where that shit come from. I'm just upholdin my Bay-ness. That's a Bay Area thing, poppin ya collar and shit. And I'm not mad at the rest of the world for doin it too. I want my game to circulate. I'm not mad when muthafuckas use my words and shit. Them words been around for years, but you gotta know how to say it and the way you do it. But when I get something from somebody, I try my damnedest to let the world know where I got it from. Even though I ain't gotta say shit, it's just words. Lotta people don't know where they got the words they use, it's just normal everyday conversation.

Things you've said in your songs have become common phrases now.

It's a compliment to me. I don't be trippin on that shit.

I think rappers all over the country have been heavily influenced by E-40. You take that as a compliment?

I know that I am a very important guy in this Rap game. I'm a character. I'm game orienfested. I got a serious side, and I got a humor side. I feel that I'm a complete package as a rapper. I got character, finesse, game, I'm up on everything. I'm not lackin in my mackin. I been in this game for a long time, and I still got a babyface. I bring a lot to the Rap game. If cats can't see that then they must be blind. But I really do like when cats use my lingo and shit, cause that's what the world loves. I get lingo from Down South, cause I'm from out that way too, my roots. All I am is a very above average game shooter. That's all. Muthafuckas is tryin to eat. Tryin to keep it real and eat and help other muthafuckas out. Help people out, that's what I been tryin to do all my life. Sometimes that shit can backfire, tryin to have a heart. The muthafuckas that you help out will betray you so quick.

How do you keep up your spirit and keep puttin out this amazing music?

I pray all day. I talk to dude upstairs all day. No matter if I'm drinkin or if I'm in the studio puffin on a mummy or puffin on a burrito. I'm not a hypocrite or nothing, but I do bleed the blood of Jesus all day. I rebute the devil all day. And I ask God to help me get through certain things, and He come through all the time. That's real real real.

Do you take care of your health and eat good food?

Yeah I have been. Two years ago I found out that I have high blood pressure. I probably been havin it for the longest, because the way I used to eat was like hamburgers. I used to wake up to a steak every morning, a t-bone steak. My favorite dish in the world oxtails and chittlins. I done sacrificed a lot, cause I don't eat none of that no more. I might eat chittlins once a year, and that's during the Christmas holidays. And I used to smoke a lotta cigars, I used to smoke a lotta beedies and all that shit. Drinkin--I used to drink brandy. And I don't drink no regular 2-3 glasses, I used to drink a whole bottle of brandy, the biggest jugs of brandy. And I used to go buy that fuckin Mudslide mix, if they didn't have the Mudslide mix I'd get the Kalua and milk. Mix that bitch up and I'd make me some damned gorilla milk, and I'd drink that shit every damned day, 24-7. I was wearin tearin my body down. What I do now, I still drink, but I drink Carlos Rossi now. I drink red wine, that's all I drink. I don't knock what anybody else do, but that's me. I been drinkin that shit since I was 15.

How did you find out about your high blood pressure?

I just went to the doctor and he's like Your blood pressure's high. I had been stayin up 24-7,workin on the Element Of Surprise album, Charlie Hustle. Element Of Surprise was a double album, I had just done 20-something songs for that album, then I turn around and come with Charlie Hustle with 17 songs right after that. So I been workin overtime. Now I walk up and down this big-ass hill every time I get a chance. I eat chicken and fish and turkey, that's all. I don't eat beef or pork.

You must feel better now?

For sure. And I lost weight, but I'm still heavy structured and I still weigh 340. I take a lotta vitamins. I drink a lotta orange juice and carrot juice and a whole buncha water. And I take Milk Thistle for proper liver function. Milk Thistle is a cleanser like, it helps the liver. A lotta athletes and body builders use Milk Thistle. It's an herb, it's natural.

I'm glad you're taking care of yourself. If you don't have your health you can't do shit.

It's a lotta work. People think that this Rap game is all glamour, but if I don't Rap I don't eat. It takes lots of blood, sweat and tears to make an album. I gotta constantly stay comin with fresh lingo and new subject matters. After 13 years of spittin game, comin with new shit ain't easy.

BG
solid crew
wolf town recordings
narcocorrido
x-ecutioners
spice
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paris
c-bo
nelly
the grind family
dead prez
brotha lynch hung
dayton family
wc
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fat joe
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too $hort
dirty
DJ screw
DLT
E-40
eastsidaz
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fredo
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mac mall
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doc
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proof
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